Efficacy of microwave versus radiofrequency ablation for treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma: experimental and clinical studies

TL;DR: Radiofrequency (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) are among the therapeutic modalities, with similar indications which include the presence of up to three lesions, smaller than 3 cm in size, and the absence of extrahepatic disease.

TL;DR: Standard MRI can cause local heating by radiofrequency absorption and monitoring thermal dose can control risk during MRI, and 9 CEM43°C seems an acceptable thermal dose threshold for most patients.

TL;DR: Although it was not found that microwave ablation was more effective than radiofrequency ablation for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma lesions of 4 cm or smaller, the results show that the proportion of lesions with local tumour progression at 2 years of follow-up was low with both tested percutaneous methods.

TL;DR: Non-drug therapies including hepatic resection, liver transplantation, transarterial chemoembolization and ablation, and small molecule targeted drugs like sorafenib and lenvatinib, monoclonal antibodies such as nivolumab are mainly used for the systematic treatment of advanced HCC.

TL;DR: RF ablation is superior to PEI with respect to local recurrence-free survival rates with multivariate analysis and prognostic value of treatment techniques was assessed with univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models.

TL;DR: The main advantages of microwave technology, when compared with existing thermoablative technologies, include consistently higher intratumoral temperatures, larger tumor ablation volumes, faster ablation times, and an improved convection profile.

TL;DR: The present manuscript depicts the Barcelona‐Clínic Liver Cancer Group diagnostic and treatment strategy, based on the analysis of several cohort and randomized controlled studies that have allowed the continuous refinement of treatment indication and application.

TL;DR: RF ablation and PMC thus far have had equivalent therapeutic effects, complication rates, and rates of residual foci of untreated disease, however, RF tumor ablation can be achieved with fewer sessions.